After the Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852-53) Lower Burma became a British possession and the security of the Myanmar nation was threatened. King Mindon ordered construction of forts along the Ayeyawady River, one of which was Gwe Chaung Fortress. In 1881 Major Douglas Mcneil, a military intelligence officer in the Indian Army, travelled incognito up the Ayeyawady. He gathered detailed information and sketched the forts he passed through. This intelligence was of great help to General Prendergast in his attack on Gwe Chaung......Subject Terms: 1. Gwe Chaung Fortress..... Key Words: 1. Fortresses... 2. Forts.